A report in the US newspaper The Wall Street Journal revealed that Israel established a secret military outpost in the Iraqi desert before the outbreak of the war. The facility was built with the knowledge of the United States and was intended to support Israel's aerial campaign against Iran, according to people familiar with the matter, including US officials.
The outpost served as a "logistics hub" for the Israeli Air Force and hosted Israel Defense Forces special forces trained in commando operations inside enemy territory. The main purpose of the base was to position search and rescue teams close to the battlefield, ensuring a rapid response in the event that an Israeli aircraft was shot down. According to the report, no Israeli pilot required rescue during the five weeks of fighting, during which thousands of strikes were carried out inside Iran.
The clash with Iraqi forces
In early March, the base was at risk of being exposed. A local shepherd reported suspicious military activity, including helicopter flights, and the Iraqi army sent forces to inspect the area. Iraqi soldiers advanced toward the site at dawn but came under heavy fire and airstrikes intended to drive them away. One Iraqi soldier was killed in the clash and two others were wounded. Following the incident, Iraq filed a complaint with the UN, attributing the strikes to the United States. However, officials familiar with the details clarified that the US was not involved in that attack.
The rescue of the American aircraft
The report also revealed Israel's conduct after a US F-15 was shot down near Isfahan, Iran. Jerusalem offered to assist in the rescue, but US forces organized the extraction of the two crew members themselves. Israel, for its part, carried out airstrikes to secure the American rescue operation.
According to the report, establishing the base deep inside Iraq enabled Israel to be closer to the theater of operations and respond quickly to emergency scenarios during the broad operation against Iranian targets.
